More than $2 million in combined Commonwealth and State Government funding announced today will reduce the risk of natural disasters across South Australia.
Minister for Emergency Management David Littleproud said the funding, provided through the Disaster Risk Reduction Grants Program, has been allocated to agencies, community groups and local councils for a range of local strategies.
"The funding is part of the $16.7 million commitment under the National Partnership Agreement on Disaster Risk Reduction and will reduce vulnerability and increase community capacity to cope in the face of natural disasters," Minister Littleproud said.
"We'll never be able eradicate disasters, but we can always ensure we are better prepared for when they strike."
South Australian Minister for Police, Emergency Services and Correctional Services Vincent Tarzia said the local projects will play a vital role in helping communities prepare for a range of emergency events.
"We must do all that we can to reduce the level of risk that our communities are exposed to and enable them to withstand and adapt to the more frequent and intense natural hazards that we face," Minister Tarzia said.
"The partnership approach between all levels of government and the community is helping to build a culture of shared responsibility for dealing with natural disasters."
Some highlighted funded projects include:
- Automatic Vehicle Location AVL (SAFECOM) $400,000 - This funding supports implementation of AVL capability for SES and CFS vehicles to provide significant enhancement to the safety of the emergency services workforce in the event of dangerous fire conditions and other emergencies.
- Incorporating Climate Risk into Asset Management (City of Mitcham), $250,000 - This project will assess climate change risks to local government assets as well as identifying economic and social opportunities from investing in proactive adaptation and disaster resilience initiatives.
- Adapt Now! Changing for Climate Change (AdaptWest) $68,200 - This project will deliver community and business focused workshops in Adelaide's western suburbs targeting culturally and linguistically diverse communities and the business sector.
- Locally led Risk Reduction Project (Australian Red Cross) $232,082 - This project will support culturally and linguistically diverse communities to implement their own locally led disaster risk reduction activities in City of Port Adelaide Enfield and Mount Gambier.
- Leave it to Z Stage 2 (Australian Red Cross), $198,316 - This project will establish a joint Youth and Emergency Management Sector Network to develop an implementation strategy enabling the sector to utilise youth knowledge.
The Disaster Risk Reduction Grants Program is administered by the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission. To find out more about the projects funded refer to Disaster Risk Reduction Grants - SAFECOM at https://www.safecom.sa.gov.au/emergency-management/disaster-risk-reduction-grants/.
